Top Ten Tuesday

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is books on the winter TBR. I’m not very specific about stuff like that, and I’m dreadful at getting round to books on time, but here’s more or less what I’m planning…

Mary Stewart, the Merlin trilogy. The first book was a reread, but with The Hollow Hills I’m breaking new ground. And enjoying it, thankfully; I still think Rosemary Sutcliff has just about everyone except maybe Steinbeck beat, but I’m enjoying Stewart’s work more than I remembered.

Jo Walton, The Just City. I got distracted from finishing this off by family visiting, and because I can’t take it to clinic with me (I’m only allowed my ereader because it’s quite discreet!). So I’m planning to finish it… probably before the start of December, really.

Tanya Huff, The Enchantment Emporium. Also been on the go for a while, whoops. And it’s fun!

Ben Aaronovitch, Foxglove Summer. Because omgggg.

Garth Nix, Clariel. Because I’m dreadful and still haven’t got round to it after I wasn’t able to read it on the Eurostar on my last trip.

Brandon Sanderson, Steelheart. Because superheroes! And it’s about time.

Samantha Shannon, The Bone Season. I’ve been meaning to pick this up for a while, and with the next book out soon, it seems like it’s about time.

Guy Gavriel Kay, The Lions of Al-Rassan.I’m still working on reading all his books in chronological order (by publication), so this one’s up next.

Henry Marsh, Do No Harm. I’m starting the long road to becoming a doctor, in theory. Marsh’s topic (brain surgery) fascinates me, and I feel like I should be learning everything I can and just soaking up the knowledge in that way I have of gaining things by osmosis. (Ask my mother. I don’t know how to pronounce a lot of words because they just slipped into my vocabulary via books, without me ever hearing them. She thinks it’s funny.)

Bernard Cornwell, The Winter King. Because there’s no better time, with a title like that, right? But also because the Mary Stewart re/read is putting me in the mood for other historically based versions of the story.

Don’t feel bad, I have the same problem with pronunciation – exacerbated by the fact that I’m ESL and think I know how words are pronounced… except English will say it differently than the Romance languages, whoops.

I’m kind of picky, but I did most of my research essays and my thesis on Arthurian literature, so I do end up reading a wide range of things! I didn’t like The Crystal Cave the first time I read it, but I liked it a lot more this time.

I’ve been reading Jo Walton’s “What Makes This Book So Great” book, which has resulted in several purchases of the books she recommends, so far. Some of those are fairly high on the to-be-read-list. I might also re-read Karen Lord’s “The Best of All Possible Worlds” so that I remember it properly when The Galaxy Game appears on my Kindle.

And I think there’s a good chance I might read Witches Abroad, so that it’s a bit fresher in my memory when Monstrous Productions stage it in Cardiff next year.

Oh, I love that one. I have a notebook with a whole list in for when I run out of books. Which is not anytime soon… I need to get round to my ARC of The Galaxy Game, too; it’s a good thing I’m not requesting lately, ha.